Whereas the approximately 27,200,000 small business
concerns in the United States are the driving force behind the Nation's
economy, creating more than 93 percent of all net new jobs and generating more
than 50 percent of the Nation's non-farm gross domestic product;
Whereas small businesses play an integral role in
rebuilding the Nation's economy;
Whereas Congress has emphasized the importance of small
businesses by improving access to capital through the American Recovery and
Reinvestment Act of 2009;
Whereas small business concerns are the Nation's
innovators, serving to advance technology and productivity;
Whereas small business concerns represent 97 percent of
all exporters and produce 29 percent of exported goods;
Whereas Congress established the Small Business
Administration in 1953 to aid, counsel, assist, and protect the interests of
small business concerns in order to preserve free and competitive enterprise,
to ensure that a fair proportion of the total purchases, contracts, and
subcontracts for property and services for the Federal Government are placed
with small business concerns, to make certain that a fair proportion of the
total sales of Government property are made to such small business concerns,
and to maintain and strengthen the overall economy of the Nation;
Whereas the Small Business Administration has helped small
business concerns with access to critical lending opportunities, protected
small business concerns from excessive Federal regulatory enforcement, played a
key role in ensuring full and open competition for Government contracts, and
improved the economic environment in which small business concerns
compete;
Whereas for over 50 years, the Small Business
Administration has helped millions of entrepreneurs achieve the American dream
of owning a small business concern and has played a key role in fostering
economic growth; and
Whereas the President has designated the week beginning
May 17, 2009, as National Small Business Week
: Now, therefore,
be it
That the Senate—
(1)honors the
entrepreneurial spirit of small business concerns in the United States during
National Small Business Week, beginning May 17, 2009;
(2)applauds the
efforts and achievements of the owners of small business concerns and their
employees, whose hard work and commitment to excellence have made them a key
part of the Nation's economic vitality;
(3)recognizes the
work of the Small Business Administration and its resource partners in
providing assistance to entrepreneurs and small business concerns; and
(4)strongly urges
the President to take steps to ensure that—
(A)the applicable
procurement goals for small business concerns, including the goals for small
business concerns owned and controlled by service-disabled veterans, small
business concerns owned and controlled by women, HUBZone small business
concerns, and socially and economically disadvantaged small business concerns,
are reached by all Federal agencies;
(B)guaranteed loans,
microloans, and venture capital, for start-up and growing small business
concerns, are made available to all qualified small business concerns;
(C)the management
assistance programs delivered by resource partners on behalf of the Small
Business Administration, such as small business development centers, women's
business centers, veterans business outreach centers, and the Service Corps of
Retired Executives, are provided with the Federal resources necessary to do
their jobs;
(D)reforms to the
disaster loan program of the Small Business Administration are implemented as
quickly as possible;
(E)tax policy spurs
small business growth, creates jobs, and increases competitiveness;
(F)the Federal
Government reduces the regulatory compliance burden on small businesses;
and
(G)broader health
reforms efforts address the specific needs of small businesses and the
self-employed in providing quality and affordable health insurance coverage to
their employees.